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U.S. Positions Military Forces in Middle East to Deter Iranian Attack
(Wall Street Journal) Lara Seligman - The U.S. is moving military forces to deter an Iranian response following Israel's stepped-up air campaign against Hizbullah and the start of a ground operation in southern Lebanon, U.S. and Israeli officials said. The Defense Department is planning to bolster the number of Air Force F-15E, F-16 and A-10 warplanes deployed in the region, the Pentagon said Monday. F-15E and F-16s fighters played a major role in shooting down Iranian drones when Tehran mounted a missile and drone attack against Israel in April. The Pentagon is also keeping the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group in the region, and the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier strike group will arrive in the region midweek, providing the U.S. with one carrier near the Red Sea and another in the Mediterranean. The U.S. has advised Israel to avoid a major ground invasion of Lebanon and instead pursue a more targeted incursion, U.S. officials said. They said an understanding was reached which would see Israeli troops target Hizbullah military sites and then pull back forces. An Israeli official said that the ground operation will feature "localized, limited raids against Hizbullah targets along the border with the objective of destroying the capabilities of the Radwan Forces," Hizbullah's special operations unit.